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Odor information transfer in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata: effect of in-hive experiences on classical conditioning of proboscis extension

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Abstract

A recent study showed that the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata could learn to discriminate odors in a classical conditioning of proboscis extension response (PER). Here we used this protocol to investigate the ability of these bees to use olfactory information obtained within the colony in an experimental context: the PER paradigm. We compared their success in solving a classical differential conditioning depending on the previous olfactory experiences received inside the nest. We found that M. quadrifasciata bees are capable of transferring the food-odor information acquired in the colony to a differential conditioning in the PER paradigm. Bees attained higher discrimination levels when they had previously encountered the rewarded odor associated to food inside the hive. The increase in the discrimination levels, however, was in some cases unspecific to the odor used indicating a certain degree of generalization. The influence of the food scent offered at a field feeder 24 h before the classical conditioning could also be seen in the discrimination attained by the foragers in the PER setup, detecting the presence of long-term memory. Moreover, the improved performance of recruited bees in the PER paradigm suggests the occurrence of social learning of nectar scents inside the stingless bees’ hives.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by funds from a CAPES-SECyT international exchange grant (071/04) to Klaus Hartfelder (Brazil) and WMF, and it was performed at the Instituto de Genética, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil. We are deeply indebted to K. Hartfelder for his contributions to the development of the exchange work that allowed the performance of these experiments, to W. Santana for his technical assistance and to the staff of the Instituto de Genética to allow the development of this study. We also thank A. Arenas for valuable comments on an early version of this manuscript. This study was also supported by funds from ANPCyT (1155), UBACyT (X 077) and CONICET, to WMF. We declare that our experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed.

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  1. Grupo de Estudio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Sofía I. Mc Cabe & Walter M. Farina

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  1. Sofía I. Mc Cabe
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  2. Walter M. Farina
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Correspondence to Walter M. Farina.

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Mc Cabe, S.I., Farina, W.M. Odor information transfer in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata: effect of in-hive experiences on classical conditioning of proboscis extension. J Comp Physiol A 195, 113–122 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0391-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0391-6

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